Oleh Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 i want to make a dash. have no idea were to start. any tips, pros/cons, etc would really help me out. i want it to look something like this ( i know the pic sucks. ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OlderThanMe Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 hmm...I am building a simple aluminium dash...just be sure to measure everything about 7-8 times...it gets tricky... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHO-Z Posted June 10, 2006 Share Posted June 10, 2006 I would start with the metal frame from a Z dash and go from there. That way you would already have all of the mounting brackets in place. Take block foam, attach to the frame and shape what you want. Then lay fiberglass over the foam. Or take some serious dimensions and see if you can find a dash out of some other car that would fit and suit your purposes at the local wrecking yard. Have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonycharger72 Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 Where do you get Block foam from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z-TARD Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 If you are fiberglassing, the floral foam found at craft stores like Michael's works pretty well, and the resin doesn't attack it like styrofoam. I used styrofoam for the dash I built, and then covered that with drywall joint compound made by DAP to make a smoothe surface for taking a mold from. Plaster of Paris would probably have been a better choice because it sets up faster and is a little denser than drywall compound. Here is the thread on my dash:http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=98077 Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boodlefoof Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 Ditto Z-tard's method. Floral foam works great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mentallylost Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 Just a thought here... How about using the frame structure from the existing dash for the mounting points. But instead of using styrofoam or floral foam to use as a form to be removed later, could it be done (while still in the car) by covering the ducts, wires, etc. with saranwrap, and apply a layer of a (for support) fine wire mesh (such as window screen). Now you could spray a foam such as that aerosol home window sealing insulation onto the wire mesh and get to carving and shaping with some files, rasps, and sand paper. Then the plug that you have just created could be covered with some fiberglass or carbon fiber. Now instead of a thin dash cover, you would have a solid and removeable dash while maintaining heater ducts and electrics in thier original positions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racerx7 Posted July 6, 2006 Share Posted July 6, 2006 How does the floral foam / styrofoam / fiberglass / carbon fiber hold up after 20 + years of being in the sun with the car windows up? I love the idea of making my own dashboard. I would just hate to see it cracked (like old lotus/corvettes) after a few years. Would be better to have the dash in few pieces to allow for contracting/expansion with heat? Or just on nice big piece so the damn thing does not rattle over every bump? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boodlefoof Posted July 7, 2006 Share Posted July 7, 2006 racerx7 - you would use the foam just to sculpt the shape over which you would lay the fiberglass. Once you've made your dash, you would cut out the foam. I can't say how the fiberglass will hold up that long though... you'll have to ask me again in about 20 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
racerx7 Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 racerx7 - you would use the foam just to sculpt the shape over which you would lay the fiberglass. Once you've made your dash' date=' you would cut out the foam. [/quote'] Duh! I guess it would have been hard to install your dash if the foam was still in place. I should have figured that out. Tells you how little I know about making things. Can you recommend books or links you used when making your project? I have a rx2 that I am trying to restore. The dash of course does not look that good. Finding parts for that thing is a major pain. Now I kind of wished I started a car with more aftermarket support (240z, ghia, 914, 2002). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z-TARD Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Heres the link to the post with my dash project. Probably not the best way to go about making a composite part, but it gets the job done. If I were to do it over again, I would definitely vacuum bag the dash after applying cloth and resin. I would have used duct tape as a mold release as well. Not doing this cost me A LOT of extra time and effort. Anyway, link: http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=98077 Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritech-z Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Z-tard you totally blew it! 669 posts is pretty cool and all, but 666 was way hard... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boodlefoof Posted July 9, 2006 Share Posted July 9, 2006 racerx7 - I didn't reference any books on composites when putting together the custom bodywork on my car... I just talked to as many people as I could who had worked with fiberglass. As for lowering the roofline, I just planned it out and started hacking! Now I'm working on the frame and suspension and I can recommend Herb Adams' "Chassis Engineering." It is a good read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Z-TARD Posted July 9, 2006 Share Posted July 9, 2006 Z-tard you totally blew it! 669 posts is pretty cool and all, but 666 was way hard... I know man, I've been depressed all day because I'm not evil incarnate anymore. I'm like the diet cola of evil now "Just one calorie, not evil enough..." Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritech-z Posted July 9, 2006 Share Posted July 9, 2006 Well, too much diet cola could give mice cancer in the lab, so that's kind of evil...I think you should put "I'm like the diet cola of evil" in your sig... I would like to make a fiberglass dash too one of these days, all these are pretty sweet. (how was that for pretending to be on topic?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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